troubled Teachers

LAHORE - Punjab Teachers Union (PTU) Thursday took out a rally from Nasir Bagh to Punjab Assembly against the formation of district education authorities. Schoolteachers from different districts of Punjab participated in the rally that culminated as a sit-in on The Mall.

The protesting teachers were carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogan against Punjab government for its ‘problematic’ policies.

Speaking on the occasion, PTU leader Rana Liaquat Ali threatened to close down schools if there demands were not fulfilled in fifteen days.

Moreover, he said the teachers would not boycott of examination and election. He said they believed in peaceful struggle for the protection of teachers’ rights but the government was ignoring them in making education policies and reforms.

Rana said teachers were being punished in terms of financial loss on showing weak results.

He said the teachers were continuously demanding that they should be allowed to do their academic duties with complete peace of mind but they were used for a number of non-academic duties like vaccination of children and election duties. Liaquat said the Punjab government’s plan of establishing DEAs would deteriorate the education system. He demanded the government include teachers in the consultative process for policy making.